This invention relates generally to electrical connectors and specifically to an alignment structure within an electrical connector assembly.
Recently, the demand for electrical features within automotive vehicles has greatly expanded. Such electrical features include motorized mirrors, motorized windows, motorized seat adjusters, motorized trunk lid pull down latches, navigational CRT displays, compact disc players and the like. This increase in electrical devices has necessitated more wire harnesses and the related electrical connectors.
Alignment and mating of electrical connectors on a moving assembly line is often problematic. Electrically conductive terminals within the electrical connectors are often inadvertently bent or broken during mating due to poor alignment of the connectors. This usually leads to intermittent electrical failures which are annoying to vehicle users and are difficult to trace during service.
One traditional connector assembly comprises a first connector having a centrally located finger extending from an internal face thereof. An axially running tab transversely projects from an external surface of the finger. A plurality of high and low current male terminals perpendicularly project from the same face of the electrical connector as does the finger. The second connector, illustrated in FIG. 1, contains a centrally located cylindrical cavity having a keyway transversely projecting therefrom. The keyway is defined by a pair of stationary walls disposed substantially parallel to a longitudinal mating axis of the connector. The pair of walls defining the keyway are prevented from flexing by having distal edges, located closest to the cavity, rigidly connected to a body of the connector. The finger and tab of the first electrical connector are inserted into the respective cavity and keyway of the second electrical connector prior to mating of the male and female terminals. However, due to part shrinkage after molding as well as temperature and humidity variations, the tab is designed to have clearance to the walls of the keyway. Thus, reliable and constant alignment of the connectors are difficult to achieve such that terminals often become bent or broken upon mating. Furthermore, precise dimensional control of the keyway walls and tab has proven difficult and costly. Cross threading of a bolt used to retain the two connectors together can also be a problem if the connectors are misaligned or the tab does not allow full insertion into the keyway due to tolerance mismatches. It must also be understood that damage to this type of electrical connector often requires the vehicle assembler to discard the entire connector and wire harness assembly.